Sacrifice of Love (38 page)

“You cannot have them,” Peri answered the voice. She knew none of the others would be able to hear her over the storm. Rain now pelted them painfully and the temperature dropped, making the drops even more excruciating as they sliced against their flesh. She could feel the magic Reyaz spoke of, could feel the darkness in it, and the intent behind it. And she realized that there was no way around it, not this kind of magic. It demanded a sacrifice and it would not relent its hold until it got it. “So be it,” she whispered into the raging storm. She stood slowly, careful to steady her weak legs and turned to look at Vasile. The rain made it difficult to see him clearly and she hoped that he could hear her with his wolf ears. “This is my sacrifice to make. It has been an honor, Vasile, Alpha, friend.” She flashed herself to the edge of the cliff and with one final glance back at the wolves she had grown to love so deeply she leapt. 

Chapter 24

“There’s a song that I listen to when I need to know that it’s okay to fall apart. The chorus says to let it hurt, let it bleed, let it take you right down to your knees. I’m there. I’m on my knees hurting, bleeding, burning, from the inside out. What if it doesn’t stop? What if it’s just too much? How long do I let it hurt? How long do I let it bleed and what if I can never get up off my knees?” ~Jacque

Decebel looked around at the others and saw that they were all as shocked as he was. The rain stopped, and the wind died down. The ground around them was just a forest floor. Peri’s sacrifice had broken the magic. Peri’s death had saved their lives. Decebel gritted his teeth together as the anguish continued to build inside of him. He wanted to grieve for Peri. He wanted to show her the respect she deserved and he would, whether it be in this life or the next. But first he had to get to his mate.

He heard the sobs of the females and the murmuring voices of the males attempting to comfort them, but they would find no comfort, not here in a place that continued to take from them and to rip lives that completed their family from them.

“Where did she go?” Elle asked as she looked around the forest for any sign of Peri’s body. “Why isn’t her body here?”  Tears stained her face and her hair, wild from the storm fell loosely around her shoulders.

“I don’t know,” Vasile answered. “What she has done for us will not be forgotten, and we will give her the burial she deserves once this is finished.”

The others nodded and mumbled agreements as they attempted to pull themselves together.

Lilly buried her face in Cypher’s chest as he enveloped her in his large arms. He whispered to her gently, “I’m sorry little one; we will make it out of this.”

Lilly wanted to believe him, but then part of her wanted to curl into a ball and let the sorrow swallow her.

“Vasile, we must hurry,” Decebel told him. He turned in the direction where the cliff edge had appeared to be and walked a few steps, taking a deep breath.
There
, he thought,
there is my Jennifer.
He took off at a dead run, not caring if anyone followed him. His one thought, his only thought, to get to his mate, to see his child, and then to die telling the woman he loved how precious she was to him.

“It’s been a long time,” the Great Luna told the white wolf.

Lucian phased back into his human form and stood beside Alina’s body. He looked at his creator and felt the warmth and love flowing off of her and into him.

“Why did you let me live?” he asked her, thinking of the long centuries he had spent wandering the dark forest, aching for companionship, and at times, longing for death.

“Because you have a purpose still in this life and it is an important one.”

He looked down at Alina and felt the sorrow from her death and remembered the pain in his brother’s eyes. “Was her purpose done?” he motioned to Alina.

The Great Luna shook her head as her lips tightened into a thin line. “No, it was not.” She frowned at the still body of the Alpha female and walked over to her. She knelt down and eased her arms under her and picked her up effortlessly.

“Come, Lucian. I will not leave a child of mine out in the dark.”

Lucian followed her without hesitation. He heard weeping up ahead and then he and the Luna emerged into a tiny clearing where one of the girls from the circle, Jacque, he recalled her name, sat with the brunette, Sally, lying in her lap. She looked up at them and her tears fell harder and she began to rock back and forth.

“Why?” she asked the Great Luna. “Please tell me why?”

She turned and carefully handed Alina to Lucian and then went over and knelt by the two girls. She murmured something he couldn’t hear and then Jacque nodded her head and then slumped forward until her forehead rested on the Luna’s shoulder. He watched as the goddess caressed the female, calming her.

“Let us go,” she finally said as she picked up Sally in her arms and motioned for the other to follow.

“Where are we going?” Jacque asked.

The Great Luna smiled at her as a proud parent smiles at their child. “There will be no more death today, not of my children. It is time that I interfered.”

Jen felt sweat sliding down her back and matting her hair to her face. The warm air felt cool against her damp skin and she welcomed that small relief. She squeezed her eyes closed as she embraced the pain of labor, knowing that she was bringing a precious life into the world, a life she and Decebel had created. She bit her lip as she fought back the urge to scream, as the contractions

became more painful and closer together. Cynthia told her to find a focal point, to grab onto a thought and hold it in her mind, and to see it with clarity. She had no problem picking a focal point because he had been her focus since the day he had growled at her in that hospital room. He had claimed her and even when there were no signs other than what he felt, he had made it clear that she was his.

She pictured his face in her mind, his amber eyes, and the secrets they held. She envisioned his high cheek bones, straight nose, and firm lips that often stayed in a permanent scowl aimed at her, but could quirk up in an amused smile at a moment’s notice. She pushed all of her focus into that picture of him and finally the pain subsided from the contraction. She knew she wouldn’t have a respite for very long.

“Okay,” Cynthia said as she pushed the blanket over Jen’s knees so she could see how far dilated she was, “that was a strong one.”

“No offense doc, but you stating the obvious isn’t really an indication that you know what you’re doing.”

Cynthia chuckled. “Yes well, between the two of us, I think I’m just a tad more qualified.” Cynthia felt what she was looking for as she did her exam on Jen, “Okay it’s time to start pushing.”

Jen went still. “What?”             

“Jen, I know you didn’t really get a chance to take the classes you needed to for giving birth, but surely you knew that this was the way she would come into the world.”

“If I didn’t need you right now, I just might knock you senseless,” Jen growled as she felt another contraction coming on.

“Okay here we go Jen,” Cynthia coached. As soon as you feel it hit, I want you to bear down and push, okay?”

Jen nodded and curled her fingers into the blanket as the contraction ripped through her. She tightened her stomach and pushed just as Cynthia told her.

“Picture your focal point, Jen. Breathe...okay, good job,” she patted her thigh gently.

The contraction passed and Jen was left breathless and dripping with even more sweat. She wanted to cry. She wanted her momma and she wanted her mate; hell, she just wanted someone to tell her she could do this, but there was no one and she was giving birth in a damn cave.

She felt a tear slide from her eye and she gritted her teeth to hold them back, but as another contraction built, she couldn’t contain them any longer. They poured from her eyes, blurring her vision, as she heard the doc’s voice once again telling her to push. She did. She pulled her legs up and pushed with all her might and when the contraction was gone, she knew it wasn’t enough.

“I can’t do this,” she said as she panted. She reached up to wipe away the tears but her arms were so weak that she couldn’t even do that. “Cynthia I can’t do this without him, I can’t.”

Cynthia looked up at Jen and her eyes were glowing. “You can do this and you will do this,” she said firmly. “This is your child, Jennifer. A miracle that you and Decebel created out of love and you will not let your mate or your little girl down. You are going to suck it up and do what needs to be done.”

Jen heard Cynthia; she felt the truth in her words and she tried to grab on to that truth. She had to do this. There was no out clause when in labor. She listened to the sound of the doctor’s voice as another contraction came and she pushed hard. She felt a stabbing pain and gasped. Immediately, she stopped pushing, and when she looked down at Cynthia’s face, she knew something was very wrong.

Cynthia’s eyes widened at the sight of the gush of blood that flowed from Jen’s body. The blood was bright red and there was so much. She flipped through her mind, quickly trying to remember all the things that could cause that much blood. She grabbed another blanket she had laid out and placed beneath Jen, attempting so soak up the fluid. Finally it hit her, an abruption, a placental abruption could cause this much blood, and was also extremely dangerous.

“Jen we have to get her out, I need you to push as hard as you can when this next contraction comes, do you hear me?” Cynthia looked into Jen’s panicked eye. “You can do this.”

Jen knew from the sound of Cynthia’s voice and the fear in her eyes that something was seriously wrong. She tried to take some slow deep breaths to get herself under control. She needed to be strong and as much as she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry her eyes out, she couldn’t. Her child needed her and she would not let her down.

The contraction started and Jen took a deep breath. She pulled Decebel’s face up in her mind and imagined him there beside her telling her she was strong, telling her he wouldn’t leave her side and that everything would be alright. She pictured him so clearly that she swore she could hear his voice. Then he was saying Cynthia’s name. Why on earth would he be saying Cynthia’s name in her little illusion. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see him there at the entrance to the cave. She saw her mate, strong and tall, and by the look on his face, royally pissed off. He was pounding on the invisible barrier that kept him from her side and she wanted to tell him she would be okay, to somehow ease the panic in his eyes. But the contraction hit and she couldn’t think about that anymore.

“PUSH JEN!” Cynthia yelled. “Come on that’s it...breathe... okay, and push again! You’re doing great!” Cynthia could feel the baby’s head and knew they had to hurry, Jen was losing too much blood much too quickly. She heard Decebel yelling at them and asking her if Jen was okay. The anger and rage in his voice was tangible and sent chills down her spine. Another contraction followed immediately after that one ended, and she was yelling at Jen again. Her attention was divided though, and she finally answered Decebel. “She’s had a placental abruption. I don’t have time to explain what it is so don’t ask. The baby seems to be doing well. I hear her heart rate and it’s normal. Jen, however, has lost a lot of blood. We need Sally if you can get her.”

Cynthia’s eyes watered as she saw the head begin to emerge and she was shaking as she maneuvered her hands into position to help ease the infant out on the final push.

“Okay, Jennifer, you can do this. One more, big, hard, long push for me.”

Jen nodded and then turned to look at Decebel. Her eyes locked onto his and a tear slid from them.

“You can do it baby,” he told her through the barrier. “I’m here, I’m not leaving.”

Jen nodded and then took a deep breath and pushed. She pushed with all of her strength, calling on her wolf’s help to give her the endurance she needed. She felt the pain as her child was born and tears streamed down her face as she looked at Cynthia who held the messy little life. She had turned her over and had her nearly hanging upside down attempting to clean out her nose and mouth and then the most glorious sound filled the cave.